i'll meet you at the gates rewrite
by her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks
Summary: And he's 5 again, the sun in his eyes, not able to see all the way to the tallest spire, but his mom taking out her camera and snapping a photo and bending down to 3 feet Finn and telling him, "Here's a picture, so you don't even have to forget." OS, K-plus. Late update bc is stupid.


**what the heck? so I uploaded this on Friday. it never showed up. so this is week late because I was too stupid to realize that the reason I didn't receive a update email is because it never went up.**

anyway.

**I feel uncomfortable. Like, this oneshot is stripping me of my rights. I should be planning to write another oneshot right now! Right? Yeah. I actually am writing more oneshots after this one, but I'm not pulling another September 2012, and continuing my summer updates into Fall. Like, I'm just doing oneshot next week. Then I'm jumping into this short multi-chap, with flexibility to go on hiatus or just plow straight through. The reason I'm doing this is because I'm in the middle of two multi-chap collabs and 1.) one of them is on the other person's account and 2.) the other one is on my account, but unfinished. It'll be out late January. (Pulling another ISW lol) And this multi-chap has been in the brain for like a year now, and I just decided like three days ago I was gonna do it, because for a while, I actually wasn't.**

**But, this, officially, is my last summer update. Officially. Very distraught. This summer made fun of me. I was ready all year (because this school year was interminable, I feel like my whole life was this year) for the never-ending freedom I received last year, which in everyday day was 48 hours. But I guess not. It wasn't meant to be. I guess nature is trying to tell me to get through this next school as darn fast as possible.**

**Here's something crazy, just to drive me nuts: My first summer update, Firbrand, (which wins as most enjoyable fanfiction to write, honestly I still get shivers of my final editing—still undyingly proud of that one) was written in the car, on my way to the shore. I write this fanfic now, my last summer update, in the car, on my way to the same shore. Wait for it! IMYATG was my first summer update of last year, on the way to the shore next to the one I'm going to now. Now it's last on this year, on the way to the shore adjacent. I feel like I'm opening and closing a phase. I honestly feel like this and last year were completely different. I wrote more, and better, things for on here and things created at 3:00am that I'll never publish…it's been a fabulous summer for the words.**

**IMAYATG Rewrite! Am I insane? Probably. I've been holding off on this. I have a feeling I'm gonna start writing it and have it come out the exact same way it was. But I promise it won't be as bad as the first one. I'm cutting out half of it. WHOA. It's like chapter 17. I've refused to think about it. And then it comes out, and it's all crap anyway. So I really ****_am _****exactly like my 2012 self. *waves dinky little flag*. Just pretend the end of 6 never happened. Like…the soda boy…is still alive *yes I call him the soda boy CAN YOU JUDGE ME***

**But as these Dog Days of summer approach, my absolute favorite time of year, I wanna ****_happily_****, not sadly, remember my KK summer fics…Firebrand, as I said, was a blast…Daylight, I remember clearly when I wrote that, my favorite time of June- maybe not my best OS, but I got overflowing support…Insomnia, oh God…Mind Game, that was alright, I just waited too long to write that one…Summer Rain, YES YES YES, OMG, Elle you are brilliant and I am feelsy and together we made something strange and beautiful…Somehow, JESSIE MY LOVELY BABY, this fic couldn't begin to describe you and your wonderful sunniness…First Friday, oh my heart, I'm still healing—I don't think I wrote that really well but I guess the emotion got across…OPEN HUFFLEPUFFIN' ARMS. GOSH. THAT ONE, I WILL SAY, IS ACTUALLY DECENT. OKAY. GOOD.…Flying. Wow. Ash is such a sweetheart and what came out of that was just epicness. Arabian Nights. Yesterday. Lol. Kinda happy.**

**Now, this. I hope this is something I can remember. Or not, if it's terrible. But it's gonna be OOC. I will never not make this OOC.**

**DISCLAIMER: Years and ages of Disney shows may be off. AND I'M NOT USING AS MANY LYRICS THIS TIME. I PRETTY MUCH CHANGED ALL OF THE SHOWS. LIKE, ALL THAT MOVE/SHAKE/CELEBRATE DETAILS KINDA NEVER HAPPENED. I KNOW 'CAUSE I WAS THERE. HAPPY? YAY, HAPPINESS. But it's called ****_fanfiction._**

**This is an IP story. *CRIES FOR EIGHT YEARS* Btw, if something's ever been an IP and you got it and I never PMed you, pray tell.**

**Something I want to you to do, for me, please: read my original IMYATG. Then this. Tell me how different it is. Or not. Because I want to know that I've improved. Or not.**

**Thanks for this summer. It's been…fantastic.**

**i'll meet you at the gates**

Finn is bored.

In June, they promised him that summer _is a break from school…not learning! _Well, tough. He's learning things every day and he's trying his best to exorcise them from his head. The back of the cereal box just won't give up, though.

However, it's July 23, and the end is creeping closer and closer. Finn can hear the doors scowling in the distance, literally.

And he's done nothing! Nothing. Nothing to prove his wildness. Every summer, there's at least _one_ life-or-death situation that seems hopeless but works itself out. Always. Somehow. (Finn thinks his life is rigged. Like, his great grandpa is up there, tugging on the strings, playing _Oh! Let's make him almost die! _Very funny.)

But really, he should be in the news by now. Don't get him wrong, he wouldn't ever want anyone in danger…but it's kinda lifeless, just lying on is bed, scanning the ceiling, as he seems to be doing _every time_…

He needs to cease the quiet. And now.

So he tosses the home phone around in his hands. Who shall I call? My girlfriend, pretty much sister-in-law, best ginger friend, brother, sister, possible crush…Dillard the soda boy…

Sighing, frustrated, he reaches for his laptop, which he hasn't touched since that cursed summer reading project (All about him! The teacher decided to make the project on this book about him and his 13 version friends. (It's like looking at his 1.6 DHI.) Totally inaccurate, those books were. And the guys who wrote them has a strange name…something about a pear?)

The laptop is on the edge of his bed, and he's too lazy to get up and grab it (see what this summer has done to him?), so he inches it forward with his finger. _Eh, close enough_. After it fires up and Finn one-hand types his password, the home screen awakes, and here in front of him stands Cinderella Castle. Bright, white, and firm.

And he's 5 years old again, the sun in his eyes, not able to see all the way to the tallest spire, but his mom taking out her camera and snapping a photo and bending down to 3 feet Finn and telling him, "Here's a picture, so you don't even have to forget."

Well, darn. Funny thing is, though, he's completely forgotten about that day. His first trip, ever. He was raised on _A Bug's Life_ and _Aladdin_ and _Buzz Lightyear of Star Command_. Always a Disney child. The size of his eyes when he met Woody and Buzz for the first time…he'll never get them that wide again.

That trip truly was _magical_. Seeing the park from above on the People Mover. Eating a Dole Whip (and tasting heaven.) Watching Wishes on the Tomorrowland Terrace.

The sights, the smells, the taste, are still on his eyes, nose, mouth. He finds himself craving a Dole Whip now. It would be just totally awesome if they could go back.

_Then_…he sees…_should I_…should _we_…  
**  
**_God, how could I have been so stupid?_**  
**  
Finn picks up the phone.

"Can I speak to the main customer service, please?"

**(CHAPTER LINE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT APPEAR)**

* * *

She feels a buzz. Then, she realizes, she's sitting on the phone. Amanda stands up, grabbing it from underneath her.

She flicks it open. "Yeah?"

"Hey Mandy!" A million voice cut in, yelling through the phone their hellos.

"Whoa, whoa, what the heck, what's this?" she asks, bringing the phone down from her ear and checking if she got the caller ID right. She's correct, it's Finn. What?

"Double call." Finn's voice says.

"Oh."

"Not double, more like six," Charlie calls out.

"The correct term is sextuple," Philby comments.

"Really, Philby?" Maybeck's voice.

"Shut up Terry," Jess shouts, from behind Amanda, on the bed, filing her nails.

"The real reason I'm calling you, Mandy," Finn finally gets out, "We're going to Magic Kingdom."

"Ooh, fun!" Jess exclaims, standing up and coming to the phone, which Amanda changes to speaker and holds out. "When?"

"Hold on, Jessie," Mandy says. She's still not convinced as easily. "Are we allowed to go? Like, aren't we gonna be attacked by people? Worse, OTs?"

"Not us," Jess says to her. "We're not as famous."

"Still, I'm not letting you guy go if that's a possibility," Amanda says. "We wouldn't all be there for back up. I mean, did you call the park?"

"Yep, all taken care of. They say it's not as heavy as a crowd today," Finn replies.

"We gotta go," Willa says. "I mean, when is the last time we've all gone there…just to have fun?"

"True," Mandy admits. "But…"

"It's like you said, Mandy," Finn begs. "We'll _all_ be there if you come. So, if trouble should arise, _which it won't_,"- it's like he hears her about to protest—"you're there, for back up. Does that sound good?"

"Please!" leak out of the speaker from all present.

Amanda looks to Jess, who put on her perfect puppy angel face. "Pweases?"

Amanda sighs. She's beat._ Okay, but we better have a good time._ "I'll meet you at the gates."

* * *

"You said there wouldn't be as many people," is the first thing Amanda says to Finn once they're inside the park, together.

They all stand in a line, in front of the castle, gazing up. Finn's finally able to see the top. He smiles and turns to Amanda, shrugging. "It's not my fault two thousand people just decided to come!"

"Whatever," she scoffs.

"Look who's in a bad mood," Maybeck says.

"I'm not! It's just that…I don't like it during the day…it's creepy…"

"Creepier than at night?" Charlene raises an eyebrow, still looking forward.

"Yes. Creepier. Cheerier. Like it's not supposed to be open this way."

"Well, then. When would it be?" Finn takes her arms and spins her around, trying to shake out the sourness. She cracks a grin. "We're in Disney World! To heck with all that happens at night. Let's have _fun_! Or, do you forget what that word means…"

She gapes. "Finn Whitman, you little—"

"Well then!" Willa interrupts, stepping in front of the seven. "I say we have a game plan on what attractions we visit first based on waiting time and Fastpass."

Maybeck groans. "Really, Wills? We've been in/on every ride. Let's just_ go_."

"I second that," Charlie raises her hand.

"Yeah, I don't care about lines," Jess adds.

"Great, then, shoot down my plan," Willa seems to say to herself.

"Let's hit T-land first," Amanda suggests. Finn turns to her abruptly.

"Oh, so you can have a vote?" Finn leers. Mandy seems to boil.

"I'm trying to have_ fun_. Like you said."

"Before Finn and Amanda beat each other up while making out, let's just move it—" Philby starts to cut in, but the speakers explode into his last two words—

_"Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It! Welcome to the party, y'all!" _

And simultaneously, the Keepers pivot around, and are greeted by a color seizure. Floats sluggishly lag toward them, and music blasts, causing the some of the seven to cringe and cover their ears. The crowds gradually part, and all make way for the dancers, clapping and stepping in time, smiling wider than possible and blowing kisses. They are dressed in the same colors, bright greens, cool blues, sharp reds, sunny yellows. Bows and crazy hats and arm-warmers. Girls wore pigtails and short bobs. Finn can just imagine the heat under all that makeup.

They come close enough, and the Keepers have to move onto the edge of the sidewalk to their right. A guy on top of the largest and loudest float shouts out. The floats are in front of the teens now, and they come to a halt—stunning yellow with vibrant confetti. Disney characters come into the scene, some rising into view on top of the floats, some coming from behind. Spectators clap along.

"What's this?" Charlie yells over the blare.

"That new parade-slash-street party," Willa responds, some words getting lost in the racket. "_Move, Shake, Celebrate, _or something like that."

"Well, let's move and shake and celebrate!" Maybeck concludes, taking Charlie and spinning her around. He dips her and she laugh, lighting up. The run off to the street where tons of watchers are gathering to dance. Willa and Philby and forever-alone Jess all follow after them together.

"Well, come on y'all! My friends over here in all the colors are gonna show you the hottest and hippest dance moves! It's gonna rock, yo!" The top-of-the-float guy calls.

"Find your dance partner!" The Mad Hatter commands from the top of his float, gesturing wildly. "And do your special Unbirthday dance! Unless, of course, if it is your birthday!"

"Oh, I wish I had a dance partner," Sebastian complains.

"I'm here, crabby!" The Genie responds from the other side. He points and the laughter is scattered from throughout the crowd.

"Wait…Mandy…do you..._hear that_?"

"What, hun?" she twirls around to face him, her face concerned, her words trailing away.

"It's the sound…of us not being captured."

"Ha. Ha."

"I'm serious! This is a first."

"I guess."

Before Finn can speak the next words of asking her to dance, a dark-haired boy cast member comes up and whirls the wildly giggling Amanda around, before dipping her too and saying, "Hey, pretty."

Now Finn's cooking. One look at the cast member and he coolly lets her go, winking at Mandy and snapping finger guns at Finn and smiling. Amanda turns her head at Finn's fiery stare. "What?"

"Is that even allowed?" he asks.

"Oh, come on," Amanda shrugs, carefully shoving Finn. "He was cute."

"Okay," Finn says, now taking Amanda in his arms, seeing her shocked but pleased eyes, "but you're never _just pretty_."

She smiles as they join the dance floor, Finn making sure to make steely eye-contact with any more guys.

* * *

"Guys, guys—we have a_ very_ special guest today!"

The crowd responds to the yellow spotted monster—erm,_ monsters_—on the screen in front. "What?" "Who?"

"It's the new leader of the Mickey Mouse Club! Yay!" The female half, Ella, shorter and wearing mascara, exclaims happily.

The screen shows a man wearing old-time Mickey Ears. He laughs and points at the screen for his baby blonde daughter, wearing a blue Ariel shirt, who's hanging onto his ear. He takes her hand, much to her disapproval, and waves it at the screen.

The taller monster, Sam, lights up. "And he's got a little Mousketeer with him! Look at that!"

"AW!" echoes from the girl Keepers. Laughter rumbles from the crowd.

"Keep on laughing! We gotta fill that old thing," he pointed to the can on his right, "or you might just be stuck here!"

"Yeah! With us! It would be fun!" his sister said.

Amanda has to bite the bottom of her lip to suppress her smile. Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor has dim lighting, and it's kinda tough to see around yourself, but Finn pokes her shoulder just as she's thinking that and she know she's not alone.

The monster on the screen has one body, but two heads—Sam and Ella, brother and sister. Sam continues. "Now, you've had your mind reading from Buddy, and some of your joke read by Marty, but now it's time for…" the purple swirly backdrop is replaced with a navy and indigo cityscape—"_a story!_ Everybody go _Ooh!_"

"Ooh!"

"Everybody say _Ahh_!"

"Ahh!"

"Sam! Let's start it already!"

"Okay, Ella. Once upon a- AHHHHH!"

"Sam! Sam! What's wrong?"

"It's…it's…it's…it's…"

"Spit it out! Who is it?"

Sam's eyes widen and gestures to Maybeck. "_That _guy!" He covers his eyes and whimpers.

Maybeck's exasperated. "Really? This is getting old."

"Pay attention, That Guy!" Jess scolds.

"So there was this_ really_ hairy monster named Sulley!" The left screen changes again and shows a middle-aged man who fits the hairy description quite well. Sulley's family waves to the monsters.

"And he had a friend with one eye named…Mike Wasowski!" Ella exclaims.

The screen shows a teenager in a black hood. He smirks.

"More like a Sith Lord…" Ella comments.

"HE HAD ONE EYE!" yells Sam.

Looking around for answers, his eyes confused, Mike finally realizes and covers one side of his face.

"And they found this _adorable _little girl named Boo!"

On the screen is a tiny toddler with was sitting on her mom's lap. She waves at the screen and shows all her teeth.

"Can you do peek-a-boo for us?" Ella asks.

The mother bends down down and whispers in the little girl's ears. Then Boo covers her eyes with her hands, and then uncovers them, making a noise each time. She must have been too young to say said game name.

"Great job Boo!" Ella says. "But then, there was this _very scary _monster named Randall who did some _really evil things_…"

"Yeah…eeeeeeevilllll…" sings Sam.

Randall is a little boy about eight years old. He smiles at the camera.

"THE EVIL SMILE!" Sam cries.

"Is it safe?" Ella queries, jumping back.

"…I think so, Ella." Laughter. Applause for Randall.

"Hurry it up, Sam! We losing them!"

Sam sighs. "Okay." As he says each name, the audience member's respective character appears on the screen. The sudden reactions add to each giggle. "BooSulleyandMikeescapeRandallandtheytakeBoobackto therealworldbuuuthenBooappearsrandomlyinadoorwhenS ulleypullsit!"

A fanfare. "Ta-da!" The monster siblings pose.

The Keepers clap. The story characters squint in the spotlights suddenly shines on them, then adjust to the light and smile brightly. Boo giggles uncontrollably.

"Disney is brilliant," Amanda tips her head to tell Finn, and he _mmhms._

"Ten bucks tonight there's gonna be a battle here," Finn says, sending Amanda into hysterics.

**(LINE BREAK THAT WON'T LOAD, STUPID FANFICTION)**

The Florida sun seems to take a step back, as if it's being nice for the Keeper's mid-afternoon appearance. It still shows its light, though. They stand in quickly advancing line, and the group steps forward once again with a collective stomp. Lively music seems to dance around them.

"I haven't met her yet," Amanda tells Finn. "I hear she's great with the kids."

"Oh, so you _weren't_ here that night…" Finn leers. Amanda eyes him. "I'm kidding! Kidding," he surrenders.

"I swear, Whitman, you will be on my last nerve…"

The walls of the former Fairytale Garden tell stories of Scottish battles and victorious clans through brown wood pictures. Female cast members in plaid help little kids hold a bow and arrow.

The line proceeds one last time before the Keepers can see, or at least, Finn and Mandy can: A tall, slender teen with wild fiery curls and blue crystal eyes, wearing a forest green dress. Princess Merida greets a small pigtailed girl, about five. Her mother walks over to the other side of the meet and greet, snapping pictures. The little girl stares downward, submissively.

Merida smiles gently, her Scottish accent twisting her o's and a's and y's. "Why, hello there, my pretty! What's your name?"

The girl faces Merida, so the Keepers can't see her. Amanda cranes her neck forward, so she can hear her better. "Joy."

"What a nice name! Makes me very happy," Merida seems to sing. "Can I have the pleasure of signing your autograph book?"

Joy nods and hands her said object. The princess flips through it, finally finding a blank page. She signs largely, with flourishes as she says, "Goodness, you've got many many names in here!"

"Yeah…" Joy said, getting a teensy bit louder. Starting to warm up. "I…Uh…I saw Tiana today!" she says.

"Really? Oh, she's so nice. Tiana's a great friend of mine. And her dress is beautiful!"

"Yeah..."

"Who else have you met?" Princess Merida asks. And Joy lists the names. Amanda leans closer to Finn.

"She is so cute," she whispers to him.

"Yeah. That Merida is spot on."

"Wait…" Mandy trails off. "Do you…" she points between Merida and them. "Is she…"

"Nah, her accent's a bit off," Finn remedies. She frowns. "But very close."

After Joy finished going through all of Magic Kingdom, causing the Keepers to shiver at a couple unfriendly names, Merida nodding all the way, the princess bends down to reach Joy's height. "You know, I am pretty friendly with a couple other people you may want to meet." The Keepers are able to see Joy's cute little face as her eyes widen with surprise, then curiosity. "But I just don't know where they are. Can you help me find them?" Joy nods fiercely.

The redhead takes Joy's hand and requests for her to lead her to wear she thinks her friends might be. At first, the little girl leads her to a barrel on their left, poking it. Merida lifts it up and checks underneath. "Nope, nothing here."

"How about here…" Joy takes her to the tapestry hanging on the wall to the right. They lift it up. "Guess not…" Joy frowns.

A large cart stands behind Merida's usual spot. An open barrel, a red and blue canvas bulls-eye, and a wooden plank stick up to the sky. As the two girls are looking away, three tiny black bears with unnaturally oversized heads and gray fur around their blue eyes pop up and look around. Merida's three brothers. The Keepers can hear them whisper and giggle to each other, mischievous grins on their faces. A soft laugh echoes from the line, and Merida and Joy spin around at the strange outburst. The bears give a sudden cry and sink down.

"There!" Joy points enthusiastically in that direction.

"Did you see something?" Merida inquires. Finn and Amanda try to see if there's any recognition on her face, but there is none.

"I th—" Joy stops, trying to find her words. Then she says, "I _know_ I did!"

She puts a finger to her lips, telling Merida to stay silent. She follows her command. The whole pavilion seems to not breathe for all of them. Amanda has a hard time not breaking out into giggles, so she covers her mouth.

A bear in the middle slowly rises up, checking if the coast is clear. As soon as the bear locks eyes with the smiling Joy he squeals, alarmed, and pops back down.

"Found you!" the little girl laughs.

The bears whimper dejectedly and rise up again. The visitors and cast members of the garden clap for the duo, and Joy glows and shyly hugs Merida and buries her face in the Princess's dress.

Merida doesn't pull away from the hug. She smiles blazingly, her blue eyes twinkling. "Thank you so much for finding them, Joy! I was getting worried for a little bit that we've lost them."

Joy breaks away and bites the bottom of her lip. Her whole demeanor has seemed to change. Then the Keepers realize—they're able to hear her now. She stands up straighter. Somehow, Merida has managed to pull out some of the inhibition out of her.

Joy embraces her again. "Bye," she says.

"Bye-bye now, Princess Joy. I hope you can come back again and help me if they escape again!"

The little princess skips off the scene, holding her smiling mother's hand. Merida turns to the three little bears. "I'm gunna tell Mum about this, you little rascals…"

* * *

The night is approaching quickly. The moon is thrown up into the sky in slow motion. The Keepers sit on a sidewalk curb in Liberty Square, near The Haunted Mansion, tapping their feet and twiddling their thumbs. They just don't know what to do. They hit every possible place they'd wanted to go—excluding Small World, nobody wanted to go to Small World—and they've got a while until the Disney nightlife beams, lighting up the parks on every corner.

"What time is it, Mandy?" Finn says to her, who lazily twirls her earphones around her finger.

"Ummm…" she fires up her phone. "Nine."

"Nine." he repeats. He raises an eyebrow. "Nine."

Then his eyes widen. "IT'S NINE! Oh s—"

He is drowned out by an explosion of the speakers, _again_, as tinny electric musical sounds reverberate throughout the park. The park dim. The Keepers glance around, trying to see each other's faces in the suddenly nonexistent lighting.

"What the heck?" Jess enquires.

"We gotta leave, now!" Finn says to all of them, starting to run toward the direction of the castle, out of the Square.

The Keepers reluctantly follow behind, wondering just _how _the OTs found out they were there. "What's wrong, Finn?" Willa asks, coming from behind Finn and joining him on his side.

She can't hear her response over the vocoder voice announcer: _"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Magic Kingdom proudly presents our spectacular festival of nighttime magic and imagination in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds. The Main Street Electrical Parade!"_

The rest of the park is plunged into shadow as the Castle is aglow in purple and pink. They shops down Main Street are outlined in white. The abrupt sidewalk crowd, blocking the way, cheers and claps along. The Keepers stop.

"How did I miss the previous announcement?" Finn turns to a panting Willa.

"Fifteen minutes ago? Oh, we were in Be our Guest."

"ARGH!" he cries out. "C'mon!"

"We still don't know where we're going…" Maybeck sighs.

"'Scuse me!" "Pardon me!" "Sorry!" rings out from the group as they run through the spectators, hearing responses of "Hey, watch it!" and "What in heck…" and "Ow, that was my toe!" The Keepers finally emerge from the crowd and bolt over the bridge. They find more people standing on each side of the street and this time fly through the middle, meeting another barrage.

The face right and a bit slanted of the Partners statue. Now they crane their necks around the building blocking their view, and they can see—sparkling, neon, seemingly gliding in mid-air—floats approach.

"Who exactly are we running from?" Philby asks.

"Not from. Too."

"What?" Charlene chimes in.

"It's a surprise."

"Great timing," Maybeck comments.

"The real question is: how are we gonna get through?" Jess gestures, pointing at the rapidly nearing parade.

"We go through," Finn says. Amanda begins to question and protest with a twisted, confused face but is stopped. "This way!" Finn waves them along over his head.

The seven follow his lead, their feet clomping down and skidding on the pavement, not doing much good for their already full stomachs. They bolt around the right of the bronze Mickey and Walt, in the deserted middle of the street, being yelled at by cast members to "Stay behind the yellow line!" They near where the street straightens, probably at the limit of their Disney licenses now, and find the floats starting to loop around the left of the statue. They're trapped.

"We're trapped," Finn says, slumping down.

Amanda's eyes finally alight with a devilish glow. "Where do we need to go?" she turns to her boyfriend.

Finn places his hands down on his knees, sloping over, breathing heavy. He glances up momentarily to point in the direction of Tomorrowland. "That way."

She beams. "We go through," she repeats. And she leads them down the front of the statue and—this is pushing it, now, their DHIs are probably gonna be revoked now—running in between two floats: two mushrooms, and two bumblebees spinning around each other—catching an off-guard from a dressed-in-lights Snow White and a head tilt from one of the dwarves. The Keepers can't hide away their smiles. Finn's hand finds Amanda's and they have trouble not tripping over each other. They dodge the illuminated bees, weaving in and of their swirling path, the spectators taking a great interest in the struggle.

After breaking through the crowd, the teens bolt down the main entryway to the deserted Tomorrowland, not taking time to gaze at the colorful planets dominating them, and trail Finn, who now slows his pace and approaches a sign. Amanda gapes.

"Tomorrowland Terrace?" she says, following behind Finn. "You _got in_?"

"Well, being a Keeper may or may not help…" he teases. She brightens. "I'm not exactly sure if we've got a seat…"

Amanda can't believe it as they come up to the sign-in desk. Tomorrowland Terrace is a desert experience on the lake a few yards away from the castle that's extremely hard to make reservations for. _I guess being a Keeper has its perks._

Finn goes up to the girl at the sign-in. Jess comes up next to her sister. "I win."

"What?"

"No sign of Greeny…"

"I KNOW. Okay?" she turns to her, disapproval taking over her face. Then it shifts when she sees Jess's frown. "Kidding!" she playfully punches her on the shoulder, taking her hand now.

Jess leans her head on her, and they both respond to Finn's beckoning hand and enter the terrace. "Sometimes I really like Disney…"

* * *

_"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls! Wishes Nighttime Spectacular will begin in five minutes. In order to fully experience the magic, the Magic Kingdom lights will be dimmed…"_

"OMG. I am FULL!" Jess throws her arms up and her head back. "I can't eat another thing."

"That," Maybeck says, placing his napkin back onto the table, "is what I call desert."

Count on Disney to make you twenty pounds heavier in one sitting. Behind their seat is tables and tables of ice cream, cake, pie, cupcakes, fruit tarts, things nobody's heard the names of, Jess's favorite muffins…and it just keeps coming and coming. Despite the previous meal at Be Our Guest, the Keepers stuffed their faces._ I regret nothing, _Amanda thinks.

The Fairlie gets her desire, and the castle is back to "normal", again—simple white lighting against the royal blue of the spires. It's the way she knows the palace. She wouldn't like it any other way.

All their surroundings are pretty awesome, to be honest. A glistening pond turned black under the night sky, the trees' shiny leaves reflecting the light of the stars, the first-timer children voicing their amazement. It's beautiful. Finn's taken back to his first time here, and then brought to real life by the laughing and jeering amongst his friends, Jess and Maybeck creating an argument in no time at all. _This_ is his life now. It's quite startling, yet comforting, knowing that home will always find him when he closes his eyes.

"And now…" Finn eyes all of his friends, "the show."

As soon as he says it, Magic Kingdom's light reduces once again, and the Keepers scramble out of their seats. "Where did the cast member say to stand again?" Charlene asks Finn, over the triumphant music blaring in their ears, the color changes of the castle changing the glow of their faces.

"By the strollers. Apparently it's the best spot," he answers.

_"Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls! Your host, Jiminy Cricket!"_

_"Hello, everybody! It's me, your friend, Jiminy_!" the wise cricket's voice speaks.

The Keepers lean against the silver railing facing the main object of attention. The castle lights up blue, perhaps in honor of the fairy speaking now—_"When stars are born…"_

A young boy in a Cars baseball cap too big for him, peering over the railing, says, "Whoa!" when a firework arcs over the castle. "Was that a shooting star?"

The Keepers laugh. "Probably," Maybeck says to the kid. The boy's father lifts him up so he can see.

"But where did it go?" he questions, squinting his eyes.

_"Starlight, starbright…"_ a girl's voice sings. Finn finds herself mouthing along the lyrics. It's hardwired into his brain: he can't help it. White fireworks burst in the far right corner of the castle.

_"And all our wishes….will come true…"_

The song morphs into the famous Disney anthem with more mature voices harmonizing. Fireworks in the shape of a star burst. More "shooting stars".

Amanda gets closer to Finn. She rests her head on his shoulder. "It's like a broken record," she says. "_Wishes _this. _Wishes _that. I get it, we know they come true!"

"Not everyone does. I know I do," Finn says, reaching around for her shoulder.

"Still corny."

"Still negative."

"Hey, it's Tink!" Charlene points. Sure enough, the sassy fairy flies above the enrapt watchers, circling her arms and pointing her feet and waving her wand. All the kids on the terrace squeal for joy. Ten year olds, in that in between stage, raise their eyebrows.

Finn tries to believe that she's actually flying, but he knows _this_ Tink can't. He remembers his experience with that zip line and shudders. It was fun…but he wouldn't do it again.

"Wait, did that Tinker Bell just wink at me?" Finn asks Amanda. She steps in his foot—intentionally or unintentionally.

Classic Disney tunes play, but revised and changed. Different heroes and heroine voice their wishes: ones they made before their rise to glory.

"I wish…we never got old! Off to Neverland!" Peter Pan laughs.

"I wish we could never grow up," Willa comments, still next to Philby. "I wish we can stay here forever. This moment…always."

"It's not like we can't come back," Maybeck says, still looking out.

"But…like this," Willa continues on. "Safe…together…"

"And all we can do about that is just continue what we're doing," Finn says, trying to give a warm smile at Willa. She uncomfortably frowns and takes Philby's shoulder. He snuggles closer.

"Is it over?" that kid says to his dad, as the last of Beauty and the Beast's title song dies.

Amanda moves closer to the sight, propping her shoulders up on the railing, as the Sorcerer's Apprentice from_ Fantasia_ song begins. Red rockets shoot up one after another, then sputter and die. Three ruby fireworks blast to make a Mickey Mouse face.

Then, the music chills, and the Evil Queen's voice cast incantations. The emerald fireworks that sparkle create a green reflection in all the Keeper's eyes. For a terrible moment…Mandy's worst fear…then she sees them blink and return back to normal. White fireworks crackle.

And she ponders…Willa's probably right. _How safe are we?_ How far can we go until breaking? Being a Keeper has its ups and downs. One of the perks being this: lifelong friends to love forever. Brothers ready to pummel somebody who hurts another. Sisters prepared to understand. But the unfortunate additions just might overpower the fortunate.

She doesn't always like getting attacked by a pang of worry in her stomach, working her way up to her head once her ever-floating mind brings up the thought of _the future_. She doesn't always like having a to-do list with 1 and 2 being _save the parks_ and _save the world_. _It's nothing a teenager should go through!_ She wants to yell. It's almost unreal.

She never likes the ever-present possibility of losing someone she feels like is her _life source_. But that's the moment she needs to remember…that the Kingdom Keepers are in the midst of a battle, and she can't pull them all out now. _Beside_, _we've kinda got more on our side._ And they've gone through heck before. And what did they do?

"Stuck it in the eye," Amanda whispers to the luminous castle, with its glow radiating outward. She changes her mind: she kinda likes it all lit up like this.

_"Well, I'll be…It's the Blue Fairy_!" Jiminy exclaims happily, and the victorious music sounds again. And she starts going on about the power of wishes again. This time, Amanda doesn't roll her eyes.

"I get it."

"What?"

"This show."

"And why is that?" Finn tries to hide his I-_so_-told-you-so smile.

"Wishes. It's this." Her arm sweeps across the scene.

"Fireworks?"

"As far as I'm concerned. No, not just fireworks. This. Dreams. Wishes. Everyone here. Happy. Smiles. _Laughter."_ She expects to see a wonderfully enlightened face, but all there is is a blank stare. "Do you get what I mean?"

"Yes."

"Are you just saying that?"

"Yes."

She scoffs. "I love you. If you get my vision, tell me. If you don't…" she wraps her arms around him and pulls closer so they can still look at each other, a smirky grin taking over her whole face. "Don't tell me."

"I love you too. Quiet, the good part is starting."

The "Starlight" song from the beginning replays, heightened and more voices joining in. Amanda's looking out at the beauty, but Finn just can't look away from her beauty.

"I remember my first trip here," he comments.

"Really?"

"A-huh."

"What was it like?"

"I was about five. We came real early, like, park opening, so we spent pretty much the whole day here. We saw this show before we left. I was a wreck in the car ride home."

"Really?"

"I felt terrible. No doubt—Disney withdrawal is legit the worst feeling_ ever_. Hurts like heck."

"Yeah. Do you still feel the withdrawal now?"

"Not anymore. I know I'll be here again eventually."

"_Eventually _meaning _tonight_." She exhales. "And you don't get tired of it."

"How can you get tired of Disney? I think it's impossible."

She looks back. "Me too."

_"You see? It's just like I told ya. Wishes can come true. Just keep them in your heart. And the best part about it is you'll never run out of wishes! They're shining deep down inside you. 'Cause that, my friends, is where the magic lives!"_

They're back to gazing at each other. No one else is on the terrace, in the park, in the Kingdom, but Finn Whitman and Amanda Lockhart. He makes a note of this in his mind: he doesn't need any more wishes. Because his one and only wish is standing right in front of him, pressed against him, fireworks filling her eyes. But no blazing firework can compare to her.

_"Just believe…"_

Fireworks larger than the castle erupt. They illuminate every tree, everything in its path. Amanda lets awed tears spill. Finn wipes them with his finger.

_"Make a wish! Wishes…"_

"I guess this is the part we're supposed to kiss," Finn says.

She's the most beautiful girl he's ever known. "Go for it, Whitman."

He's the most perfect boy she's ever known. "I'm yours, Lockhart."

And they come close enough. The grand finale explodes in their ears. They're perfect, extraordinary, magical, shining bright, and with no sign of stopping.

_"Huh…see what a little wishing can do?"_

**I STILL CAN'T GET OVER HOW I TYPED "THE SASSY FAIRY" LOLOL**

**Ugh. That ending just dragged on endlessly and got really bad. Apparently, the Keepers did, like, 2 things. (I realized that too late.) But whatevs. I'm very proud, because I now see…how different everything is. I think the Famanda arced a bit better. More continuity. Some strong and weak moments. You deserve sixteen million Nutella cupcakes for reading that 17 page story. You…amazing.**

**A NOTE: DO I OWN ANYTHING? Nope. DO I WANT TO OWN THESE THINGS? Yes, but I don't. DO I ADMIT THAT NONE OF THINGS ARE/EVER WILL BE MINE? Yep.**

**I kinda changed up a lot of the shows. I mean, think about that. I could've youtubed all of them and copied every single detail. I could've went to Disney right now and watch all of them and go from there. *LOL no*. But I didn't. See how determined I am to prove that there is NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED ON ANY OF THESE SHOWS? I don't own any…I just love them. So no lawsuits please? It's called fanfiction, for coconut's sake. The whole site is a copyright palooza.**  
**However: I did use a video for Wishes. Just to know the timing. It's a view from the Tomorrowland Terrace, taken at the end of last year, so that really helped me out. I cried at the end. Honest. Thanks to youtube user Charles Feldmeier for the vid.**

**This really makes me excited for Disney. OH BTW I'm going to Disney in November. I'M SO HUFFLEPUFFIN' EXCITED. So I won't be publishing that week. Lol. But I guarantee, there will be another Keepers-In-Disney oneshot after that.**

**I really like this rewriting thing. I like giving stories a second chance. Maybe or maybe not TAOAT. Eh, prob not. I'll let that be. I wanna try NYKK, but that is so bad and such a random plot twist I'm not sure if I should even dare. My biggest wish though is to redo an ISW chap. A couple, maybe. I won't put it in the story itself, I'll just put it into a group of redone chapters. But I don't know how it will go, bc I'm just pulling out of the style that ISW was now. That's only last Jan-May, don't forget. Ok I'm rambling.**

**Enough about legal stuff and rewrites. THANKS FOR BEING BEAUTIFUL, Y'ALL. I can't express my love for you. Yes, you. Hi pretty. Thanks. To all my regular reviewers…every sentence is written with you in mind! :)**

I'll be back here in two weeks with the The Lie of the Fair. Fairlie backstory, yo.

**Oh, yeah. I'm posting in the Percy Jackson section this fall.**


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